*Waja Performance
In its initial years in the market, the Waja was originally powered by a Mitsubishi 4G18 SOHC 1.6 L engine. Also made standard since the introduction of the Waja are multi-point fuel injection and brake configuration (front ventilated disc brakes and rear disc brake). All Wajas (excluding the Waja Chancellor) are also available in both manual (5 speed) or automatic transmissions (4 speed).
In 2002, the 1.8 L variant was introduced, powered by the same engine used in Renault Laguna II. The 1.8 L model incorporated drive-by-wire technology and variable valve timing (VVT) technology. However, the 1.8 L model suffered from poor sales because Malaysian customers were more familiar with Japanese engines and were less confident of European engines especially on unfamiliar with the maintenance standard;[citation needed] as a result, the 1.8 L variant was phased out in the following year. It was also believed that the Renault engine gain its trust back due understanding of owners on maintaining the engine.[citation needed]
By January 2006, the Campro engine was finally used to power the Waja. Although the engine is similar to the engine used in the Proton Gen-2, the DOHC Campro engine used in the Waja has higher power and torque, probably due to the remapping of the ECU and also a different air intake system. The 2008 Proton Waja is now powered with a Campro CPS engine with variable valve timing, which was not available in the previous Waja Campro models.[4]
The Waja Chancellor, which launched 2006, featured a longer wheelbase and was powered by a Mitsubishi 6A12 2.0 L V6 engine similar to that used in Proton Perdana V6, also sourced from Mitsubishi. The car is also available only with a 4-speed automatic transmission.
Latest : CPS engine
*Safety
The Waja/Impian is currently the only Proton car to have undergone a Euro NCAP test, receiving only moderate-to-mediocre results in a 2002 crash test.
“ Euro NCAP 2002 crash test ratings
* Adult Occupant Rating - 3/5 stars
* Pedestrian Rating - 1/5 stars
Proton claims that the Impian is the first of a new generation of cars that are designed to Euro NCAP standards and is the first Proton car evaluated by Euro NCAP. It scored 3 stars for adult occupant safety but only 1 star for pedestrian safety. This was a disappointing performance but Proton says it intends to improve future designs. But it has not yet been done till now.
The car's body was damaged so badly by the impact that it became unstable. The driver and front passenger risked serious injury. The child restraints performed poorly and it became apparent that, in development, too little thought had been given to their use.
”
The tested configuration with side airbags were never sold by Proton in Malaysia.[citation needed]
Top Gear aired a segment which featured a damaged Proton Waja alongside a damaged Toyota Avensis to show the differences between a 3-star EURO NCAP car and a 5-star EURO NCAP car after a head-on collision on a deformable steel concrete wall.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
History of Proton Waja
The Proton Waja is a saloon car designed in-house by Malaysian automotive company, Proton, first released in August 2000. The Waja is the first Malaysian-designed car, with a chassis derived from a Mitsubishi Carisma and a Volvo S40. The name Waja, which means "tough (as steel)", reflects the strength of the steel used for the Waja compared with the previous models. The name was chosen partly to counter the perception in the domestic market that Proton cars were less strong.[citation needed] In the United Kingdom, the Waja is sold as Proton Impian, "Impian" being another derivative of the Malay language, meaning "dream".
Waja Era's
The Proton Waja is the first model designed in-house by Proton. The development of the Waja began at the end of the 1990s together with the Campro engine, however the development of the Campro engine was still in progress at the time of its launch and therefore Proton had to source the 4G18 engine for the Waja from Mitsubishi,[citation needed] before switching to Campro engines in 2006. It was launched in August 2000 together with the introduction of Proton's new corporate logo. Early batches of the Waja had some serious quality problems due to some component vendors and suppliers skipping quality checks to rush for the huge early demand.[citation needed] However, the quality of the components were strictly improved years later in 2005.[citation needed]
The Waja was facelifted twice since its debut in August 2000. The first minor facelift was in mid-2006 which only involved rear lights. The 2007 Proton Waja with a more substantial facelift was launched on January 19, 2007 together with the facelifted Proton Savvy. For the 2007 Waja, it was given a new grille which was nearly identical to the Savvy. The 2007 Waja also includes both ABS and air bag as standard for the Malaysian market, which were previously optional equipment. At the end of 2005, Proton additionally introduced another variant of the Waja, known as Proton Waja Chancellor, to be used by representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during the meeting of ASEAN leaders in the KLCC, shortly before its launch in 2006. The Waja Chancellor has a longer wheelbase and a 2.0 L V6 engine similar to that used in Proton Perdana V6, also sourced from Mitsubishi. By 2008, an updated Waja was launched with an improved Campro engine and a new center console with a new 2-DIN Clarion audio set.
Waja sales in the UK, where it is rebadged as the Impian, did not begin until April 2001, and it has continued virtually unchanged ever since. The Impian is only available with right hand drive while left hand drive models are available elsewhere in Europe as the Waja. Sales have not been strong,[citation needed] as it was behind the best of the competition at its launch and virtually all of its competitors have been replaced since. Its decent ride and handling, generous equipment levels, competitive asking price and comprehensive aftersales package are perhaps the only things that keep it going with British buyers.[citation needed]
On December 5, 2008, Proton announced[1] that the next-generation Waja to be based on the Mitsubishi Lancer platform. The Lancer-based Waja is found to be on test
Waja Era's
The Proton Waja is the first model designed in-house by Proton. The development of the Waja began at the end of the 1990s together with the Campro engine, however the development of the Campro engine was still in progress at the time of its launch and therefore Proton had to source the 4G18 engine for the Waja from Mitsubishi,[citation needed] before switching to Campro engines in 2006. It was launched in August 2000 together with the introduction of Proton's new corporate logo. Early batches of the Waja had some serious quality problems due to some component vendors and suppliers skipping quality checks to rush for the huge early demand.[citation needed] However, the quality of the components were strictly improved years later in 2005.[citation needed]
The Waja was facelifted twice since its debut in August 2000. The first minor facelift was in mid-2006 which only involved rear lights. The 2007 Proton Waja with a more substantial facelift was launched on January 19, 2007 together with the facelifted Proton Savvy. For the 2007 Waja, it was given a new grille which was nearly identical to the Savvy. The 2007 Waja also includes both ABS and air bag as standard for the Malaysian market, which were previously optional equipment. At the end of 2005, Proton additionally introduced another variant of the Waja, known as Proton Waja Chancellor, to be used by representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during the meeting of ASEAN leaders in the KLCC, shortly before its launch in 2006. The Waja Chancellor has a longer wheelbase and a 2.0 L V6 engine similar to that used in Proton Perdana V6, also sourced from Mitsubishi. By 2008, an updated Waja was launched with an improved Campro engine and a new center console with a new 2-DIN Clarion audio set.
Waja sales in the UK, where it is rebadged as the Impian, did not begin until April 2001, and it has continued virtually unchanged ever since. The Impian is only available with right hand drive while left hand drive models are available elsewhere in Europe as the Waja. Sales have not been strong,[citation needed] as it was behind the best of the competition at its launch and virtually all of its competitors have been replaced since. Its decent ride and handling, generous equipment levels, competitive asking price and comprehensive aftersales package are perhaps the only things that keep it going with British buyers.[citation needed]
On December 5, 2008, Proton announced[1] that the next-generation Waja to be based on the Mitsubishi Lancer platform. The Lancer-based Waja is found to be on test
Revolution of Proton Waja
The Proton Waja (Proton Impian in Europe) is the first Proton to be designed and styled in-house. However, the car's chassis and engine were sourced and adapted from Mitsubishi (except for the 1,800 cc variant, which was powered by a Renault engine). The word Waja translates into English as "steel" while Impian translates into "dreams" or "ambition". The name Impian was chosen as it was considered to be a more pleasant sounding word for the international market. In January 2006, the car was fitted with a CamPro engine which has been re-tuned to boost the horsepower to 86 kW (115 bhp) and 155 N-m of torque. This made it go full-circle, as the CamPro was originally developed for the Waja, but was deemed not ready for production when the Waja was launched, hence debuting in the Proton Gen-2. The facelifted 2007 Proton Waja was launched on 19 January 2007 with the new grille nearly identical to the Proton Savvy. Although Proton Waja was designed as a premium product of Proton, it was termed as one of the worst cars of Proton.
The Waja was also released as the Proton Chancellor in late 2005, a variant for the executive market with a 250mm wheelbase stretch and luxury fittings and accessories, including a space-robbing rear centre console that restricts seating to four persons. It is fitted with powertrain from the Proton Perdana V6. With a selling price of about twice that of a Waja, the Chancellor is a very rare sight on Malaysian roads.
* Proton Waja R3 MME Edition
The Waja was also released as the Proton Chancellor in late 2005, a variant for the executive market with a 250mm wheelbase stretch and luxury fittings and accessories, including a space-robbing rear centre console that restricts seating to four persons. It is fitted with powertrain from the Proton Perdana V6. With a selling price of about twice that of a Waja, the Chancellor is a very rare sight on Malaysian roads.
* Proton Waja R3 MME Edition
List of Proton Model
* 1 Car Models
o 1.1 Proton Saga
o 1.2 Proton Wira
o 1.3 Proton Satria
o 1.4 Proton Putra
o 1.5 Proton Perdana
o 1.6 Proton Tiara
o 1.7 Proton Juara
o 1.8 Proton Waja
o 1.9 Proton Arena
o 1.10 Proton Gen-2
o 1.11 Proton Savvy
o 1.12 Proton Persona
o 1.13 Proton Exora
* 2 Others
o 2.1 Proton PERT
o 1.1 Proton Saga
o 1.2 Proton Wira
o 1.3 Proton Satria
o 1.4 Proton Putra
o 1.5 Proton Perdana
o 1.6 Proton Tiara
o 1.7 Proton Juara
o 1.8 Proton Waja
o 1.9 Proton Arena
o 1.10 Proton Gen-2
o 1.11 Proton Savvy
o 1.12 Proton Persona
o 1.13 Proton Exora
* 2 Others
o 2.1 Proton PERT
Proton car Market around the world
* Drop in sales
n 2006, Proton's sales dropped 30.4% from 166,118 in 2005 to 115,538 for the Malaysian market, with a later report indicating a 55% fall of sales to 962.3 million ringgit, its lowest in at least seven years. This allowed Perodua to overtake Proton as the country's largest passenger carmaker for the first time, with a 41.6% market share, while Proton's market share fell from 40% in 2005 to 32% in 2006. In the period ending December 31, 2006, Proton has also suffered three consecutive quarterly losses. Compared to a profit of 86.5 million ringgit in 2005, the car company lost 281.5 million ringgit in 2006. Proton blamed discounts from rivals. Total losses in 2007s financial year climbed to $169 million.
The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) acquired an additional 830,000 shares in a transaction that spanned between January 5 and January 12, 2007
* Exports
Proton exports cars to the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Australia and the company is aggressively marketing its cars in several other countries including the Middle East. Besides that, Proton cars has also been exporting a small volume of cars to Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Taiwan , Cyprus and Mauritius. 14,706 Proton cars were exported in 2006
Recently Proton returned to Guangdong, China, where it did business in the past but withdrew after having poor sales record. In July 2007, Proton signed an agreement with Youngman Automobile Group Ltd. Co., paving the way for the national carmaker to offer its products and services in China. Under the agreements,Youngman will import 30,000 Gen.2 CBU (completely built-up) units and resell them under its own EuropeStar brand and eventually develop a new range of Made-in-China cars with the engineering services provided through Proton's Lotus. Proton is expected to ship 1500 cars a month for 20 months starting December 2007 to fulfill the order.
Proton began its exports from Malaysia to other right hand drive markets like New Zealand in the late 1980s, but its success was mostly limited to the United Kingdom where it entered the market, along with Ireland, in 1989. They advertised there with the slogan Japanese Technology, Malaysian Style. Proton cars proved popular among budget-oriented motorists, and like Japanese and South Korean models before them, led to the demise of manufacturers such as the Soviet Lada and ex-Yugoslavian (now Serbia) Zastava. By the 1990s, Proton had withdrawn from the New Zealand market after offering only the Saga four-door and Persona five-door models. The company also exited the Irish market in the early 1990s, following limited success in that country. The Persona and Natura models were sold in Chile briefly during the late nineties by a local Nissan importer, but few were sold and the venture ended after two years.[citation needed] Proton sales seem to be slowly declining in the United Kingdom with 2008 sales at 1518 (0.07% share of the market), compared to 2752 in 2002. These figures are insignificant compared to 2008 UK sales of 28,036 for South Korea's Hyundai and 29,397 for Spain's SEAT. Proton enjoyed brief success as a few units of the Saga and Wira were exported to Trinidad & Tobago (Caribbean) during the late 90s where they were used mainly as rentals.
Proton also exports cars to Singapore and Australia, and now produces models in left-hand drive, for export to continental Europe. An entry into the US market was considered by Malcolm Bricklin following Hyundai's successful launch in the mid 1980s. However, exports to the US never materialized, as the cars required hundreds of changes to meet American safety standards in order to secure coverage from auto insurers and satisfy legislative requirements. Proton export models still do not comply to all environmental standards such as emission limits.
The model that Malaysia has followed with the formation of Proton may be used as a case study for rent seeking as tariffs on imported cars rose almost immediately following the formation of Proton. Also AFTA agreements on relaxing entries into the ASEAN marketspace had exemptions specifically for Proton. The Malaysian government gained a three-year exemption for Proton from 2002 to 2005 where entry tariffs had to be lowered to 5%. This was replaced by other duties resulting in no net decrease in automotive prices for importers.
In the United Kingdom, Proton cars suffer somewhat from a poor public image; they are considered poor quality products with very poor residual values compared to rivals from Kia, Chevrolet and Hyundai. In 1998 Proton attempted to change this by introducing the Proton Satria GTi - however, the car was somewhat out of reach to younger drivers due to high insurance premiums (the car was originally a group 16 and was reclassified in 2001 to group 14 but this still resulted in high premiums). The Satria GTi also sported a "Lotus Ride & Handling" badge which, coupled with an average security system, made it easy picking for a potential thief. However, the vehicle was a success as far as handling was concerned which meant that, coupled with its 1.8 16-valve Double Overhead Cam Engine (which produced 133bhp) a number were purchased by Octogon Race Circuits and used as track cars at Silverstone and Brands Hatch racing circuits.
Proton cars were imported into Trinidad and Tobago between 1993 and 2002. They were sold through a local dealer, H.E Robinson Ltd. Only the Saga and Wira ever reached this market with the Wira enjoying modest sales success. The bankruptcy of the dealership forced the exit of Proton from Trinidad and Tobago in 2002.
For a short time, the Proton Wira was marketed in the Philippines via LHD in 1994 with the establishment of Proton Pilipinas through the ASEAN Industrial Joint Venture (AIJV) Scheme before they pulled out due to the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.
n 2006, Proton's sales dropped 30.4% from 166,118 in 2005 to 115,538 for the Malaysian market, with a later report indicating a 55% fall of sales to 962.3 million ringgit, its lowest in at least seven years. This allowed Perodua to overtake Proton as the country's largest passenger carmaker for the first time, with a 41.6% market share, while Proton's market share fell from 40% in 2005 to 32% in 2006. In the period ending December 31, 2006, Proton has also suffered three consecutive quarterly losses. Compared to a profit of 86.5 million ringgit in 2005, the car company lost 281.5 million ringgit in 2006. Proton blamed discounts from rivals. Total losses in 2007s financial year climbed to $169 million.
The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) acquired an additional 830,000 shares in a transaction that spanned between January 5 and January 12, 2007
* Exports
Proton exports cars to the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Australia and the company is aggressively marketing its cars in several other countries including the Middle East. Besides that, Proton cars has also been exporting a small volume of cars to Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Taiwan , Cyprus and Mauritius. 14,706 Proton cars were exported in 2006
Recently Proton returned to Guangdong, China, where it did business in the past but withdrew after having poor sales record. In July 2007, Proton signed an agreement with Youngman Automobile Group Ltd. Co., paving the way for the national carmaker to offer its products and services in China. Under the agreements,Youngman will import 30,000 Gen.2 CBU (completely built-up) units and resell them under its own EuropeStar brand and eventually develop a new range of Made-in-China cars with the engineering services provided through Proton's Lotus. Proton is expected to ship 1500 cars a month for 20 months starting December 2007 to fulfill the order.
Proton began its exports from Malaysia to other right hand drive markets like New Zealand in the late 1980s, but its success was mostly limited to the United Kingdom where it entered the market, along with Ireland, in 1989. They advertised there with the slogan Japanese Technology, Malaysian Style. Proton cars proved popular among budget-oriented motorists, and like Japanese and South Korean models before them, led to the demise of manufacturers such as the Soviet Lada and ex-Yugoslavian (now Serbia) Zastava. By the 1990s, Proton had withdrawn from the New Zealand market after offering only the Saga four-door and Persona five-door models. The company also exited the Irish market in the early 1990s, following limited success in that country. The Persona and Natura models were sold in Chile briefly during the late nineties by a local Nissan importer, but few were sold and the venture ended after two years.[citation needed] Proton sales seem to be slowly declining in the United Kingdom with 2008 sales at 1518 (0.07% share of the market), compared to 2752 in 2002. These figures are insignificant compared to 2008 UK sales of 28,036 for South Korea's Hyundai and 29,397 for Spain's SEAT. Proton enjoyed brief success as a few units of the Saga and Wira were exported to Trinidad & Tobago (Caribbean) during the late 90s where they were used mainly as rentals.
Proton also exports cars to Singapore and Australia, and now produces models in left-hand drive, for export to continental Europe. An entry into the US market was considered by Malcolm Bricklin following Hyundai's successful launch in the mid 1980s. However, exports to the US never materialized, as the cars required hundreds of changes to meet American safety standards in order to secure coverage from auto insurers and satisfy legislative requirements. Proton export models still do not comply to all environmental standards such as emission limits.
The model that Malaysia has followed with the formation of Proton may be used as a case study for rent seeking as tariffs on imported cars rose almost immediately following the formation of Proton. Also AFTA agreements on relaxing entries into the ASEAN marketspace had exemptions specifically for Proton. The Malaysian government gained a three-year exemption for Proton from 2002 to 2005 where entry tariffs had to be lowered to 5%. This was replaced by other duties resulting in no net decrease in automotive prices for importers.
In the United Kingdom, Proton cars suffer somewhat from a poor public image; they are considered poor quality products with very poor residual values compared to rivals from Kia, Chevrolet and Hyundai. In 1998 Proton attempted to change this by introducing the Proton Satria GTi - however, the car was somewhat out of reach to younger drivers due to high insurance premiums (the car was originally a group 16 and was reclassified in 2001 to group 14 but this still resulted in high premiums). The Satria GTi also sported a "Lotus Ride & Handling" badge which, coupled with an average security system, made it easy picking for a potential thief. However, the vehicle was a success as far as handling was concerned which meant that, coupled with its 1.8 16-valve Double Overhead Cam Engine (which produced 133bhp) a number were purchased by Octogon Race Circuits and used as track cars at Silverstone and Brands Hatch racing circuits.
Proton cars were imported into Trinidad and Tobago between 1993 and 2002. They were sold through a local dealer, H.E Robinson Ltd. Only the Saga and Wira ever reached this market with the Wira enjoying modest sales success. The bankruptcy of the dealership forced the exit of Proton from Trinidad and Tobago in 2002.
For a short time, the Proton Wira was marketed in the Philippines via LHD in 1994 with the establishment of Proton Pilipinas through the ASEAN Industrial Joint Venture (AIJV) Scheme before they pulled out due to the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.
Proton Future development
Proton's Business Strategies
* Acquisitions
Lotus
In 1996, Proton acquired a 63.75% share in Lotus Group International Limited for £40,640,000. A later PriceWaterhouse Coopers audit would find that the CEO, Yahaya Ahmad, had inked the agreement on 16 October 1996. The agreement was presented to the board for approval on 27 November 1996. As part of the purchase agreement (signed prior to board agreement), there were restrictions placed on Proton's ownership of Lotus. One of the restrictions was a prohibition on diluting ACBN's remaining shareholding for a period of five years. This restricted Proton in its operation of the Lotus business and required Proton to guarantee a £40 million loan in 2000.
MV Agusta
In December 2005, Proton purchased a majority share in MV Agusta of Italy at 70 million Euro. MV Agusta was the manufacturer of MV Agusta, Husqvarna, and Cagiva motorcycles. A year later, Proton sold off its 57.7% share in MV Agusta to Italy's GEVI Spa for a token of 1 Euro. Due to heavy debt by MV Agusta, the selling enabled Proton to write off the losses off its book. But the buyer would assume the 107 million Euro ($174 million) in debt. In August 2007, GEVI SpA the company that bought over MV Agusta for 1 Euro sold the brand Husqvarna and its factory to BMW for a reported 93 millions euros leading to speculations by the Malaysian public of bad management of the company's board of directors resulting in further loss of reputation for the company.
* Strategic Partnership
Abortive strategic partnership with Volkswagen AG
In October 2004, Proton announced that an understanding had been reached with Volkswagen AG of Germany to establish a strategic partnership. Under the tie-up, the two carmakers were expected to exploit each other's strengths. Proton would gain access to Volkswagen's superior technical capabilities and technology. In return, Volkswagen would utilise Proton's spare capacity at the latter's Tanjung Malim plant to assemble cars for export to the South-East Asian market, where the German auto giant had a weak presence.
On 13 January 2006, Volkswagen finally announced that negotiations about the partnership had failed because VW's desires clashed with the terms and conditions offered by Proton. VW were more interested in eventually controlling Proton Holdings rather than just being a strategic partner. Despite this, Malaysian news announced that Volkswagen AG has signed an agreement to buy a 51% share in Proton on 26 January 2007, which turned out to be unfounded. Throughout most of 2007, rumours about continuing merger talks with Volkswagen, and occasionally General Motors surfaced in the local press and at briefings given by top government officials.
Finally however, on 20 November 2007, Proton announced that talks regarding any partnership with Volkswagen had ended with immediate effect, citing improving sales over the year, a favorable export outlook and confidence in management turning around the company without external collaboration. This unexpected announcement resulted in a 19% overnight drop in Proton's share price to their lowest value in seven years, due to the market's perceived uncertainty about the future financial viability of the company in an increasingly competitive local and world market
Partnership with Detroit Electric
On 2 September 2008 Detroit Electric announced plans to progressively roll out affordable electric vehicles worldwide by the end of 2009. Proton cars are to be used and tested in order to validate Detroit Electric's technology and explore the potential to collaborate to create a range of pure electric cars. Detroit Electric has to date integrated its electric drive systems into Proton's Lotus Elise and two Proton passenger cars. Detroit Electric hoped to collaborate with Proton to sell electric cars for the Southeast Asian market or to use Proton's existing manufacturing platform to produce electric cars under the Detroit Electric brand. The company planned to roll out 30,000 electric cars by 2010, as he demonstrated their performance at a Proton test circuit in Shah Alam, west of the capital Kuala Lumpur.
* Acquisitions
Lotus
In 1996, Proton acquired a 63.75% share in Lotus Group International Limited for £40,640,000. A later PriceWaterhouse Coopers audit would find that the CEO, Yahaya Ahmad, had inked the agreement on 16 October 1996. The agreement was presented to the board for approval on 27 November 1996. As part of the purchase agreement (signed prior to board agreement), there were restrictions placed on Proton's ownership of Lotus. One of the restrictions was a prohibition on diluting ACBN's remaining shareholding for a period of five years. This restricted Proton in its operation of the Lotus business and required Proton to guarantee a £40 million loan in 2000.
MV Agusta
In December 2005, Proton purchased a majority share in MV Agusta of Italy at 70 million Euro. MV Agusta was the manufacturer of MV Agusta, Husqvarna, and Cagiva motorcycles. A year later, Proton sold off its 57.7% share in MV Agusta to Italy's GEVI Spa for a token of 1 Euro. Due to heavy debt by MV Agusta, the selling enabled Proton to write off the losses off its book. But the buyer would assume the 107 million Euro ($174 million) in debt. In August 2007, GEVI SpA the company that bought over MV Agusta for 1 Euro sold the brand Husqvarna and its factory to BMW for a reported 93 millions euros leading to speculations by the Malaysian public of bad management of the company's board of directors resulting in further loss of reputation for the company.
* Strategic Partnership
Abortive strategic partnership with Volkswagen AG
In October 2004, Proton announced that an understanding had been reached with Volkswagen AG of Germany to establish a strategic partnership. Under the tie-up, the two carmakers were expected to exploit each other's strengths. Proton would gain access to Volkswagen's superior technical capabilities and technology. In return, Volkswagen would utilise Proton's spare capacity at the latter's Tanjung Malim plant to assemble cars for export to the South-East Asian market, where the German auto giant had a weak presence.
On 13 January 2006, Volkswagen finally announced that negotiations about the partnership had failed because VW's desires clashed with the terms and conditions offered by Proton. VW were more interested in eventually controlling Proton Holdings rather than just being a strategic partner. Despite this, Malaysian news announced that Volkswagen AG has signed an agreement to buy a 51% share in Proton on 26 January 2007, which turned out to be unfounded. Throughout most of 2007, rumours about continuing merger talks with Volkswagen, and occasionally General Motors surfaced in the local press and at briefings given by top government officials.
Finally however, on 20 November 2007, Proton announced that talks regarding any partnership with Volkswagen had ended with immediate effect, citing improving sales over the year, a favorable export outlook and confidence in management turning around the company without external collaboration. This unexpected announcement resulted in a 19% overnight drop in Proton's share price to their lowest value in seven years, due to the market's perceived uncertainty about the future financial viability of the company in an increasingly competitive local and world market
Partnership with Detroit Electric
On 2 September 2008 Detroit Electric announced plans to progressively roll out affordable electric vehicles worldwide by the end of 2009. Proton cars are to be used and tested in order to validate Detroit Electric's technology and explore the potential to collaborate to create a range of pure electric cars. Detroit Electric has to date integrated its electric drive systems into Proton's Lotus Elise and two Proton passenger cars. Detroit Electric hoped to collaborate with Proton to sell electric cars for the Southeast Asian market or to use Proton's existing manufacturing platform to produce electric cars under the Detroit Electric brand. The company planned to roll out 30,000 electric cars by 2010, as he demonstrated their performance at a Proton test circuit in Shah Alam, west of the capital Kuala Lumpur.
History of PROTON
The Proton Waja is a saloon car designed in-house by Malaysian automotive company, Proton, first released in August 2000. The Waja is the first Malaysian-designed car, with a chassis derived from a Mitsubishi Carisma and a Volvo S40. The name Waja, which means "tough (as steel)", reflects the strength of the steel used for the Waja compared with the previous models. The name was chosen partly to counter the perception in the domestic market that Proton cars were less strong.[citation needed] In the United Kingdom, the Waja is sold as Proton Impian, "Impian" being another derivative of the Malay language, meaning "dream".
Proton is the Malaysian national automobile manufacturer (Malay acronym for PeRusahaan OTOmobil Nasional, 'National Automobile Enterprise'), which was established in 1983 under the direction of the former Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Proton Holdings Berhad, the holding company, is listed on the Bursa Malaysia.
Based on technology and parts from Mitsubishi Motors, production of the first model, the Proton Saga began in September 1985 at its first manufacturing plant in Shah Alam, Selangor. Initially the components of the car were entirely manufactured by Mitsubishi but slowly local parts were being used as technologies were transferred and skills were gained. The 100,000th Proton Saga was produced in January 1989.[1]
Until the end of the 1990s, the car's logo featured the crest from Malaysia's coat of arms, featuring a crescent and a fourteen-pointed star. The new Proton logo features a stylized tiger head. In 1993, a model called Proton Wira was introduced based on the Mitsubishi Lancer/Colt. More than 220,000 units were sold between 1996 and 1998.[2] Proton Perdana, based on the Mitsubishi Galant/Eterna, was first produced in 1995, intended for higher end market. The Proton Waja (Proton Impian in UK), which launched early 2001, is the first car model designed internally by Proton. By 2002 Proton held a market share of over 60% in Malaysia, which was reduced to barely 30% by 2005 and is expected to reduce further in 2008 when AFTA mandates reduce import tariffs to a maximum of 5%.
With the acquisition of Lotus technologies in 1996 from ACBN Holdings (a company owned by the owner of Bugatti), Proton has gained an additional source of engineering and automotive expertise. This led to the production of Proton Gen-2 which was code name Wira Replacement Model (WRM) before the launch. The Gen-2 is the first of cars to be manufactured and assembled at the new manufacturing plant in Tanjung Malim, Perak which is part of Proton City development project. The plant was opened in 2004. On 8 June 2005 Proton introduced the second model to be manufactured in Tanjung Malim, the 1,200 cc 5-door supermini, the Proton Savvy. Both the Gen-2 and Savvy, were models that MG Rover was looking to rebadge when the British firm entered into collaboration talks with Proton. However these joint-venture talks were unsuccessful and MG Rover subsequently collapsed.
In 2007, Proton launch its new sedan as replacement version for Wira Sedan but with new name, Persona. The new Proton Saga replacement model (codename Proton BLM) was launched on 18 January 2008. The new Saga is based on the Savvy platform, but using Campro 1.3L instead of Renault engine. It was announced on August 8, 2008 that Proton is developing a new, fuel-efficient hybrid car to beat rising costs and address environmental concerns. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told reporters that he had already test-driven the car and urged the company to continue researching energy-saving techonologies.
As of 3 August 2008, Proton has produced 3 million cars since 1985, where the 3 millionth car is a second-generation Saga.
Proton is the Malaysian national automobile manufacturer (Malay acronym for PeRusahaan OTOmobil Nasional, 'National Automobile Enterprise'), which was established in 1983 under the direction of the former Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Proton Holdings Berhad, the holding company, is listed on the Bursa Malaysia.
Based on technology and parts from Mitsubishi Motors, production of the first model, the Proton Saga began in September 1985 at its first manufacturing plant in Shah Alam, Selangor. Initially the components of the car were entirely manufactured by Mitsubishi but slowly local parts were being used as technologies were transferred and skills were gained. The 100,000th Proton Saga was produced in January 1989.[1]
Until the end of the 1990s, the car's logo featured the crest from Malaysia's coat of arms, featuring a crescent and a fourteen-pointed star. The new Proton logo features a stylized tiger head. In 1993, a model called Proton Wira was introduced based on the Mitsubishi Lancer/Colt. More than 220,000 units were sold between 1996 and 1998.[2] Proton Perdana, based on the Mitsubishi Galant/Eterna, was first produced in 1995, intended for higher end market. The Proton Waja (Proton Impian in UK), which launched early 2001, is the first car model designed internally by Proton. By 2002 Proton held a market share of over 60% in Malaysia, which was reduced to barely 30% by 2005 and is expected to reduce further in 2008 when AFTA mandates reduce import tariffs to a maximum of 5%.
With the acquisition of Lotus technologies in 1996 from ACBN Holdings (a company owned by the owner of Bugatti), Proton has gained an additional source of engineering and automotive expertise. This led to the production of Proton Gen-2 which was code name Wira Replacement Model (WRM) before the launch. The Gen-2 is the first of cars to be manufactured and assembled at the new manufacturing plant in Tanjung Malim, Perak which is part of Proton City development project. The plant was opened in 2004. On 8 June 2005 Proton introduced the second model to be manufactured in Tanjung Malim, the 1,200 cc 5-door supermini, the Proton Savvy. Both the Gen-2 and Savvy, were models that MG Rover was looking to rebadge when the British firm entered into collaboration talks with Proton. However these joint-venture talks were unsuccessful and MG Rover subsequently collapsed.
In 2007, Proton launch its new sedan as replacement version for Wira Sedan but with new name, Persona. The new Proton Saga replacement model (codename Proton BLM) was launched on 18 January 2008. The new Saga is based on the Savvy platform, but using Campro 1.3L instead of Renault engine. It was announced on August 8, 2008 that Proton is developing a new, fuel-efficient hybrid car to beat rising costs and address environmental concerns. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told reporters that he had already test-driven the car and urged the company to continue researching energy-saving techonologies.
As of 3 August 2008, Proton has produced 3 million cars since 1985, where the 3 millionth car is a second-generation Saga.
Welcome to Revolution of Proton Waja Site
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Revolution of Proton Waja.
First of all, thanks for support and hopefully it give you all information about Proton Waja.
Enjoy this site!!
Truly,
Admin
Revolution of Proton Waja.
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